Craig Counsell just betrayed the Milwaukee Brewers faithful

In a shocking move, Craig Counsell has agreed to become the manager of the Chicago Cubs, leaving the Milwaukee Brewers.

Counsell was a free agent after his contract expired at the end of the season.

He was long rumored to be going to the New York Mets or stay with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Instead, he will be traveling down south of I-94 to manage the Cubs.

This is more than a shock. This is a betrayal. The hometown son is joining the enemy with unlimited financial resources. The dang Cubs just got the best manager in the National League.

The Milwaukee Brewers reportedly made an offer to make Counsell the highest paid manager in baseball.

Instead, Counsel has turned heel and is giving the Brewers fanbase a chair shot on the way out. This one hurts. It hurts real bad.

Counsell earned the right to go to the market and see what he could get, but he is taking dirty money. Okay, that might be a bit harsh, but it feels like he is now a mercenary open to the highest bidder.

No loyalty, no love, instead just cold, hard business. Now Counsell is the enemy.

Maybe he grew tired of dealing with an owner who kept asking him to make chicken salad out of chicken bleep with rosters built on limited financial resources.

Still, it stings. No, more like it burns to see him go manage the club that his hometown team hates the most. Counsell managing the Cubs seemed like man walking on Saturn at the beginning of the offseason.

It felt like the New York Mets would move heaven and earth to hire Counsell considering his relationship to new Mets front office head David Stearns–the Milwaukee Brewers former general manager.

Plus, there was no indication the Cubs were going to fire David Ross.

Then again, this is not the first time the Cubs have come out of nowhere to hire the best manager on the market while they still had a skipper under contract. They hired Joe Maddon back in 2015, then fired Rick Renteria, and won the World Series in 2016.

This also is a signal to the Milwaukee Brewers that the Cubs are coming for the NL Central Division title with no plans of ever giving it back.

Make no mistake about it, the Cubs are going to go out and spend this offseason. You do not can Ross and give Counsell a record contract to wait out Peter Crow-Armstrong’s development in the minors.

Some fans can say good riddance considering Counsell was 1-9 in his last 10 playoff games. His managing skills helped the Milwaukee Brewers get to the postseason in the first place. He was working with lineups that featured Rowdy Tellez, Mike Brosseau, and Owen Miller.

This feels like a business decision which means it should not be personal, and yet it does.